SPECIAL SCHOOL FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED AGED (5-19yrs) Volunteer project. Central Kenya.

Located in central Kenya its in a beautiful location only 3 hours drive from Nairobi. Lush topical valleys, tea and coffee plantations, waterfalls and rivers make this an idyllic ( and always overlooked) location to volunteer. The school is in a rural location but next door to a busy school serving the children of the surrounding valleys. The weather in this region can rain and is often cool at night but is often blistering hot during the day when the sun shines.

Quality accommodation option.

Mt Kenya close to this project

This institute was started by an Italian priest called Padre Antonio Ceianellic after he saw a need in the community for a school for the mentally challenged .The community was lacking such an institution and the ones available were not effective as they were far off. The school houses 51 children with all kinds of mental handicapped from cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, epilepsy to dyslexia. disability being a severe ammonic state in a person attributed  to mental and physical impairment or in most cases a combination of both ,as a results the institution main priority is to teach this children basic activities to lead their lives as normal as possible and physic-therapy to strengthen their limbs as some are very weak . This would include:

 Personal care / Receptive and expressive language

 Learning ( reading and writing ) vocational training (arts

 Mobility (physio-therapy) occupational therapy

 Self direction/control .    Independent  living

 Speech therapy (most children are speechless)

The school thus has divided this children to the level of their ability, thus they are able to teach them .These include

i)                  Cerebral palsy class /Pre-primary class

ii)                 Primary class /Pre-vocational class

iii)                Physiotherapy room / Play teaching class

ACTIVITIES OF THE SCHOOL:-

-THERAPY ROOM.

Fairly a new room that was donated by Italian who were volunteering in this school. The equipment mostly are improvised to suit the need of the children as they are very       expensive .They are mostly for the one with weak limbs due to most of the children have very little mobility when they are admitted to the school .They include

                  Hand weights & special bicycles

              Wheels for the figures

                 Tables for massages &  Jogging machines

                  Stomach and back equipment

                 Back bending and connection machines

                Rolling pins & Walking frames.

PRE-PRIMARY CLASS (2 CLASSES) [11 CHILDREN EACH]

Most of the children here also suffer from hyper-activity disorders:-The activities include:-

i)              Teaching the children to concentrate on one activity until development happens.

ii)             Taught on basic hygiene and normal activities like going to the toilet, washing and feeding.

iii)            Teaching songs (nursery rhymes for mental coordination and stimulation.)

PRIMARY CLASSES:-

This class has 12 children .These are the children that have graduated from the pre-primary class .Here they teach them simple academics which would be doing the alphabet, basic arithmetic and drawing.

Mostly they are only starting to understand  how to scribble and paint .They are more contained and they don’t have hyper activity which has been treated thus if they prove to be better they are integrated to normal school where they can learn in normal school curriculum. This is an ideal class to teach as it really would not require a person to be trained on mental handicaps studies but a patient teacher would do the work as the IQ of the children is more elongated by the work in the previous classes.

PRE-VOCATIONAL CLASS

This class the children are taught weaving using wool thread to make table clothes .the children here are able to read and write ,and also able to read and write and are able to do this activity as they can co-ordinate themselves better in this area .This is the final class in the institution as they are taught Math and how to tell time and also the skills they learn they are able to be self-sufficient and can take care of themselves out in the society. The institution is also planning to start a Home Science class where they can make a living after living the school.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

They have very effective speech therapy because most of the children don’t have speech .The problem is that the speech therapist are very rare in Kenya so they only have one and thus not effective. This class also has mirrors for occupational therapy so that they are able to observe themselves so that they can understand how the are doing the activities thus it can register to their brains.

OTHER FACILITIES.

1. Vegetable garden

They plant most of the vegetables that is eaten by the children.

2. Laundry room

Here the washing is done by machine mostly but due to the number of children sometimes the workers are forced to hand wash .The staff here is also not valuable as the school is not able to employ many people.

3. Storage Facilities

This facility is for storing food and firewood which is used as fuel. (Most of the food is also donated by well wishers.

4. Borehole:

This was also dug by volunteers and the water is used for the school and also sold neighboring schools and the community as an income generating venture.

5. Poultry Farm

They keep chicken which is used  to subsidies the diet of the children by supplying eggs .The chicken although there are  not m any ,and they are hopping to increase the numbers so that they can sell to the surrounding community and raise funds for the children .

6. Dormitories

For both boys and girls .Fairly basic the dormitories are cleaned by the children as this is part of the rehabilitation program, and supervised by a house mother day and night.

7. Dining  Hall/TV Room :

This is the acting area with a TV donated to the children by well wishers.

8. Cow –Shed

The school also boosts a cowshed where they keep milk .Cows for the children to have milk although not enough they help in cutting down the cost of buying milk

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Volunteers with skills or backgrounds handling such children of these types of needs. Regular teachers or trainee teachers are also welcome to participate in class. Other volunteers who are willing to help in the other domestic side of this school are also welcome. If you feel you have any skills or experience that would be relevant we would most like to here from you.

This school is an ideal placement for those looking for places to initiate projects that would strike a positive and immediate effect to a needy person’s life for long period of time. Its a great opportunity to have an impact on children who really have no hope.
One must be prepared to face hash realities of life, with regard to the levels of need and sufferings. In return the children will give you a rewarding and memorable time you will never forget. The area is safe and simply stunning and our host family accommodation is better than any volunteer company can offer. For those willing to be flexible and who really want to make a difference but value your own comforts, this is for you.

The school is situated 30 minutes away from Nyeri town, where it is possible to find all things modern – from Internet to pubs and five star safari clubs. This part of the country has a beautiful topography that is well covered by tall and green trees that gives a perfect setting for bird watching, or evening walks. For the adventurous, Mt Kenya is only an hour away, thus an attempt to climb to any of its three peaks would be a fulfilling move. Besides that, most of us would visit Meru reserve that is famous for Joy and George Adamson's hand rearing and releasing of animals. The famous lioness 'Elsa', whom most of us know from the film 'Born Free' The area is rain forested so game spotting is hard and an easier alternative is Aberdare  a few hours away, or Samburu where you are likely to spot the elusive Leopard.

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